Rosella

(Hibiscus sabdariffa)

Rosella (some people call it roselle) is a little hibiscus plant that has bright ruby coloured calyxes that make THE best jam. They are also used in teas, syrups or eaten fresh (they are quite tangy but addictive!). The young leaves are also said to be edible raw or cooked though I haven’t tried.

Rosella plants are perennial and can be overwintered but I haven’t managed to come out with a healthy looking plant the next year yet, so I sow mine each spring from saved seed. The shrubby bushes grow up to 1.5m tall and have beautiful pale pink flowers, with bright red centres, that last a day before dying off and becoming the red calyx that you can harvest. The leaves are a lovely dusky green and contrast against the cranberry coloured stems - all in all it’s a very ornamental plant!

They grow fairly easily. Raise seed in punnets then when it’s time to plant out, improve the soil beforehand with some dug in compost or manure, and mulch well. Water them as needed.

I harvest the plump calyxes regularly and pop them in the freezer. (I store the central seed pod and the outer fleshy calyx separately). Once I have a big batch or at the end of the season I cook them into jam. You can read about this in my blog post.

Make sure you leave some calyces on the bush to dry out so you have seeds for next year!

full sun, well drained soil, water as required, 1.5m tall